ENERGY VOICE

‘Petrolhead’ who beat Shell shows how law can fight climate change

16/06/2021, 7:39 am

Royal Dutch Shell Plc hired a team of pricey lawyers for its defense against environmental activists in a Dutch court, and lost. A decade-old, $22 book might have upped their chances of winning.

“Revolution Justified: Why Only the Law Can Save Us Now,” is no bestseller, ranking in the mid-600,000s in Amazon’s Kindle store. But the book, by environmental lawyer Roger Cox, laid out arguments that were integral to his landmark victory over the Anglo-Dutch oil giant on May 26. read more

The Guardian: Shell chief vows to bolster emissions strategy after court ruling

Ben van Beurden pledges to ‘rise to challenge’ after court ordered oil firm to cut global carbon emissions by 45%

Joanna Partridge: Wed 9 Jun 2021 18.21 BST

Royal Dutch Shell has vowed to accelerate its strategy towards becoming a net zero emissions business, two weeks after a Dutch court ruling ordered the company to cut its global carbon emissions by 45% by the end of 2030 compared with 2019 levels.

Shell’s chief executive, Ben van Beurden, promised to “rise to the challenge” in helping to create a low-carbon energy system, but came out fighting for the Anglo-Dutch oil company he runs, insisting it has been leading the industry in taking responsibility for its carbon emissions. read more

CNN BUSINESS

Shell CEO: We will cut emissions faster but the world needs to use less oil

By Hanna Ziady, CNN Business: Updated 1220 GMT (2020 HKT) June 10, 2021

London (CNN Business( Shell will cut emissions faster than planned after being ordered to do so by a court in The Hague last month.

In a statement on Wednesday, the oil company’s CEO Ben van Beurden said he was determined “to rise to the challenge.” But he kept open the option of appealing the landmark ruling that he said “singled out” Shell and was “not the answer” to tackling the climate crisis. read more

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Shell says a court ruling on greenhouse gases will speed up its plans to cut emissions.

By Stanley Reed: June 9, 2021

Royal Dutch Shell will respond to a recent defeat in a Dutch court by accelerating its efforts to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions, the company’s leader said Wednesday.

Ben van Beurden, the chief executive of Shell, said that he was “disappointed” by the ruling requiring the oil company, Europe’s largest, to move faster in slashing greenhouse gases, but added that the company was planning to do just that.

“For Shell, this ruling does not mean a change but rather an acceleration of our strategy,” Mr. van Beurden said in an article published on LinkedIn. “We will seek ways to reduce emissions even further in a way that remains purposeful and profitable,” he added. read more

Shell promises to accelerate shift to low carbon

The oil giant Shell will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions more quickly than planned following a legal ruling in the Netherlands, its chief executive has promised in a blog post.

The firm would take “some bold but measured steps,” Ben van Beurden wrote.

Environmentalists won a court case in May, arguing Shell was failing to reduce emissions quickly enough.

Mr van Beurden said Shell would appeal against the ruling, but meanwhile he would look at hastening the transition. read more

REUTERS

Shell to deepen emission cuts following court ruling, CEO says

By Ron Bousso: 3 MIN READ: JUNE 9, 2021

LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell will seek ways to accelerate its energy transition strategy and deepen carbon emission cuts following a landmark Dutch court ruling last month, CEO Ben van Beurden said on Wednesday, a move that will likely lead to a dramatic shrinking of its oil and gas business.

Shell plans to appeal the May 26 court ruling that ordered it to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels, significantly faster than its current plans. read more

THE GUARDIAN

It’s time to nationalize Shell.

Private oil companies are no longer fit for purpose

By Johanna Bozuwa and Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò: Mon 7 June 2021

It has been a bad month for big oil. A Dutch court just ruled that Shell must cut its carbon pollution by 45% by 2030. The court’s decision has rightly been celebrated: it is a much more stringent requirement than the ineffective regulations imposed to date.

Private oil and gas companies are finally up against the wall. Shell has promised to appeal the Dutch court decision, but oil prices went negative last year and put companies on bankruptcy notice… read more

ICIS

Extracts from: Friends of the Earth v Royal Dutch Shell – what did the Dutch Court rule, and what does it mean for Shell’s business?

by Paul Hodges on 6th June 2021 in Oil markets

The Court’s decision
The District Court of The Hague made a landmark ruling on 26 May in the case made collectively by the Dutch Friends of Earth (Milieudefensie) and other NGOs versus Royal Dutch Shell (“Shell” or “RDS”) on the issue of whether Dutch law required Shell to limit its CO2 emissions: read more

THE

HILL

Fossil fuels are definitively the new tobacco

BY ANDREAS KARELAS, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 06/07/21 10:05 AM EDT 

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL

Former hedge fund manager, host of CNBC’s “Mad Money” and investment guru Jim Cramer declared in January of last year he was “done with fossil fuels… we’re in the death knell phase. They’re tobacco.”

Not everyone was so sure about this at that time — but now there’s no disputing it. Fossil fuels are definitively the new tobacco, and we are witnessing a historic moment in real-time: The end of the fossil fuel age. Here are the latest markers of the fossil fuel industry’s accelerating implosion.  read more

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Businesses Brace for More Climate Cases After Ruling on Shell Emissions

By Benoit Faucon, Sarah McFarlane and Laura Kusisto: June 6, 2021 9:04 am ET

A court decision ordering Royal Dutch Shell PLC to cut its carbon emissions has emboldened litigants in similar cases, including two that could have big implications for Exxon Mobil Corp. and French oil giant Total.

Shell’s defeat comes as oil-and-gas companies face growing scrutiny over their emissions from activists, governments and investors, and adds momentum to other climate-related suits where the legal system or arguments are similar, plaintiffs and legal experts said. read more

fd.

Five questions about the meaning of the Shell judgment

It was a statement that shook the so-called BV Netherlands for a while. A stone in the pond. Shell must reduce its CO₂ emissions faster than it does now, the judge ruled a week ago. Five questions about the next steps.

In brief

• Last week, the judge ruled that Shell must reduce its CO₂ emissions more quickly.
• A week after the Shell verdict, there are still many questions.
• There is also much speculation about next steps.

1. Does this ruling affect Shell worldwide?
Shell must reduce CO₂ emissions faster, the judge ruled. The statements apply to the entire group, i.e. worldwide, although there are some exceptions, such as the part of the emissions that falls under the Emission Trade System (ETS) system. read more

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

‘Wolf pack’ attack win opens the door for more turmoil

June 1, 2021: The success of the activist shareholder assault on the Exxon board last week, along with a court ruling ordering Royal Dutch Shell to cut its carbon emissions faster than planned and a majority of Chevron shareholders voting for a reduction in its “scope three” emissions have been depicted as victories for climate activists.

While the Shell decision clearly fits into that category (although it will appeal) and Chevron probably also squeezes in, the Exxon experience isn’t quite as clear cut and illustrates the confusion and conflict, for companies and investors, that flow from the increasing aggression and impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) funds. read more

THE TELEGRAPH

Vilifying Western oil companies is a very bad way to fight climate change

AMBROSE EVANS-PRITCHARD 31 May 2021 • 12:58pm

Green victories over the likes of Shell risk handing Russia and the petro-states political leverage over the world’s energy supplies

Environmentalists should think twice before celebrating the week that shook Big Oil to the core. Green activist victories against Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chevron are pregnant with unintended consequences.

The Shell saga is the most unsettling of the three episodes last week. (For sake of disclosure I own shares.) It was ordered by a district court in the Hague last Wednesday to slash emissions 45pc by 2030 in line with United Nations guidance, including the “Scope 3” emissions of hypothetical drivers who burn their petrol. Others will surely follow because copycat suits are proliferating. read more

ad.nl

Will Shell perish under the demands of the judge?

A court that imposes a CO 2 reduction on an oil company by waving human rights and climate change. This has never been seen in the world before. What are the consequences?

Ton Voermans & Peet Vogels 27-05-21, 19:18 Last update: 27-05-21, 19:36

Can Shell meet the requirements?
That will be quite a job. The judge ordered that Shell reduce its own CO ₂ emissions by 45 percent by 2030. This is an obligation and goes further than Shell’s own objective. But experts expect Shell to be able to achieve this. Society has already started using solar power in oil production. And Marjan van Loon, the CEO of Shell Netherlands, is already driving around in a hydrogen car. Others point out that Shell can still reduce methane leaks, methane is a strong greenhouse gas. And Shell can capture and store its own CO ₂ emissions in empty gas fields. read more

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

‘Victory for our planet’: Royal Dutch Shell must cut emissions

The Hague District Court has ruled Royal Dutch Shell must cut its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. The landmark case will likely set a global precedent for holding polluting multinational organizations accountable for curbing emissions.

May 27, 2021

By Mike Corder Associated Press

A Dutch court on Wednesday ordered Royal Dutch Shell to cut its carbon emissions by net 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels in a landmark case brought by climate activism groups, which hailed the decision as a victory for the planet. read more

nbc news/Reuters

Climate activists score wins against Exxon, Shell and Chevron

“Today was a stark warning for Big Oil,” said Bess Joffe, of the Church Commissioners for England, with executives “being held to account by investors and lawmakers.”

It has not been a good few days for Big Oil.

Shareholders Wednesday rebuked the top two U.S. oil companies for dragging their feet on fighting climate change, while a Dutch court ruled that Royal Dutch Shell needs to accelerate cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. read more